UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The international community should make concerted efforts to jointly tackle challenges toward world peace and development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday.
Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Sam Kutesa, president of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, he said, adding that peace and development are being focused as two major themes that call for "full cooperation and joint response" from the international community.
On peace, he said China hopes that the international community will take the opportunity of the anniversary to seriously sum up historical lessons and explore effective ways to maintain international peace and security under new situations.
On development, Wang said China attaches importance to and supports relevant UN initiatives and actions.
"China will actively participate in the negotiations of the post-2015 development agenda, as well as the Paris climate conference process," said the foreign minister, adding that China will safeguard the legitimate rights of the large number of developing nations.
Kutesa, for his part, said 2015 is a milestone year for the United Nations, voicing the world body's support for China and relevant parties in commemorating the 70th anniversary of its founding, as well as the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
He noted that an open debate of the UN Security Council earlier in the day, proposed by China, had drawn active participation from all parties, saying this demonstrates "China's vitality and energy as the rotating president of the Security Council."
Kutesa stressed that the UN will focus on three major development agendas this year, namely the negotiation process for the formulation of the post-2015 development agenda, the Third International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the goal of achieving a new agreement on climate change in Paris at the end of this year.
The president expressed the hope that China will continue to actively support these issues.
Earlier in the day, Wang presided over an open debate for the UN Security Council in the capacity of the council's rotating president, with the theme of safeguarding international peace and security to reflect on history, and reaffirming the commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.